Stars
by smolwarden
Summary: Another restless night pushes the two Wardens closer together


Images of dragons and darkspawn flashed across Keri's vision and she could hear the song of the Archdemon. She could hear its syncopated and jarring rhythm rising up behind the thunderous roar of the darkspawn marching to the surface. Keri woke up suddenly gasping for breath, her hair was plastered to her face, body slick with sweat, her eyes darting around her tent for any sign of approaching darkspawn. She blinked the sleep out of her eyes and pushed her hair back as the lingering images from her nightmare faded. At times like these Keri longed for the dreamless sleeps of her past. Judging from the amount of light inside her tent Keri guessed she couldn't have been asleep for more than four hours. She rose from her bedroll with a sigh and headed to the entrance of her tent; she wouldn't be getting any more sleep tonight.

Keri opened her tent flap and was surprised to see Alistair poking the dying embers of the fire with a stick. He glared into the fire pit and she could see his jaw working under the smooth planes of his face. She stood outside her tent for a moment, watching him, before she sat on the ground beside him.

"Good morning, sunshine," Alistair greeted her with a smile that looked more like a grimace. "Sleep well?"

"Like a nug," she answered with a small chuckle.

Keri looked up at Alistair and frowned. He had dark circles under his eyes and the lines on his face showed more sleepless nights than restful ones. During the day they were brave Wardens, restoring the Order and saving Ferelden from the blight. But in the middle of the night when sleep became a memory, they were just two people who were still kids in many ways bearing a burden no one wanted. "You don't look well, Alistair. How long has it been since you slept through the night?"

"I could ask you the same thing, Keri. But I'm fine, really." He looked at her and even though he was visibly tired his eyes were bright and shone with his usual mischief. "Besides," he continued, a smile blossomed across his face as he spoke. "I'm not the one who keeps getting cornered by common thugs."

"Oh come on! That was _one_ time!"

"Mmhmm. I think you just like having a big, strong man come to your rescue. Admit it. You like watching me fight," Alistair said with a wink.

"Oh, so that's what they're calling it now? I was wondering what you were doing. I'm surprised you made it out in one piece."

"Ouch! You are a mean little woman. Has anyone ever told you that? Because it's true. You're very mean."

Alistair laughed and Keri could feel her face flush at the way it made her feel. Recently their friendship had grown into something a little more flirtatious and Keri wasn't sure what that meant. There was no denying she had developed feelings for Alistair but she didn't know how he felt about her. He was a human prince and she a casteless dwarf, there was no way they would ever be more than friends. She was thankful it was too dark for Alistair to see her; Keri didn't want her feelings to get in the way of their friendship.

The two sat in comfortable silence as the last lingering bit of flames smothered and died. Without the crackling of the fire their camp became utterly silent and for a moment Keri drank it in. In these small hours she was truly able to marvel at the surface, it wasn't nearly as terrifying as the dwarves in Orzammar made it seem; it was wonderful and exhilarating. On the horizon the tiniest bit of sun was rising, barely visible amongst the black sky. She laid back, fanning her long hair around her, and gazed up at the small dots in the sky.

"Hey, Alistair?"

"Yeeees?"

"What are those dots called again? Ya know those little baby suns everywhere," she waved her arm over her head, gesturing for emphasis.

Alistair couldn't contain his laughter. "Little baby suns? You remember sun but can't remember the word for stars? I still can't believe you've never seen the sky before. I never thought dwarves from Orzammar literally never stepped foot outside it."

"Yeah," she sighed. "Dwarven law is incredibly strict about it. Only a select few are able to go in and out without consequence. Anyone else is deemed tainted and unpure, unable to return and lost to the Stone forever. I don't know if I'll be allowed back when this is over. Between the two of us I still feel like the sky could suck me up into it at any time."

"So you, erm, want to go back then?" His voice was thick with emotion and Keri couldn't tell if he was sad for her or because of her. "You miss it?"

"Maybe? I-I don't know. It's been the only home I've ever known. I'm still casteless, being a Grey Warden doesn't change that. Orzammar doesn't have anything to offer me other than a life of begging, crime, or whoring myself out to a noble. But," she trailed off.

"But?" Alistair prompted her, trying to ignore the "whoring" bit.

"But, it has its own beauty. The glow of the lights from the Diamond Quarter shining in Dust Town. How all along the walls pockets of lyirum shined like our version of stars. Or the chime of merchants coming in and setting up."

"Well, it certainly sounds like…something." He got up from the log he was perched on and stretched out on the ground next to her. Alistair could feel the heat radiating off her and he longed to reach out and hold her. Instead he looked at her, his eyes drinking her in. He wanted to commit her features to memory so when he closed his eyes he could see something other than the nightmares that waited for him.

"I know it doesn't make sense but you would have to see it. You would understand once you were there." She turned to face him, her eyes misted over, a faint smile teasing the corners of her lips. "I don't regret leaving. I'll always be thankful for Duncan and what he did. He saved me, in more ways than one. Every day I'm finding the Surface is more of a home than Orzammar was." She slid her hand towards Alistair and briefly pulled a couple of his fingers into hers before returning her hand to rest on her stomach.

She turned to look back up at the sky, gradually more and more of the sun's light took over the sky. Keri watched as the color changed from pitch black to a dusky purple.

"Stars, huh? They're the most beautiful thing I've seen." Her voice was barely a whisper. If Alistair didn't see her mouth move he would have sworn he was hearing things. He watched as a tear slid down Keri's face, fighting not to reach out and catch it. "Don't you think so?"

Not once did he take his eyes off her. "Yes. Yes I do."


End file.
